I don't know if we have many bowhunters here on the Indiana board, but I'm ready for archery deer season to open tomorrow (October 1).

I've been working a lot of 12-hour days, and worked 15 hours yesterday, so I'm really looking forward to relaxing in the woods in the evenings (as much as possible) and on the weekends.

Good luck to any and all who are pursuing deer with a "stick and string".

Why is it that all day in Greene, Martin, Larwrence ,and Orange counties that all I see is turkey's until 1000 tonight when I see a monster buck and his friends. Oh well I had to work all day anyways. Going tomorrow and sunday though.  Any luck?

I guess that explains all of the pickups parked in the fields around our cabin this weekend.  While I was packing up to come home Sunday night, right around sunset, I saw two does cross the field behind the cabin at a full run.  Went by within about 25 yards of me.  Just for a second I reached for the 9mm on my hip, but thought better of it.  I probably should've looked for something blaze orange and gone to see what spooked them (we don't allow hunting in the woods they came from) but since I ran more than 100 rounds through the AR next to the woods that afternoon I don't suppose any hunters were hanging around...

Quoted: I probably should've looked for something blaze orange...

Blaze orange isn't required in Indiana until firearms season opens in mid November. I know what you mean about trespassers as well. I don't own the private property that I hunt, but know for a fact that others are not supposed to be there. An example can be found below.

My opening weekend deer report:

I worked opening day (Friday), so I didn't get into the woods until 4PM. Which is fine, as I see most of my deer in early archery season in the evenings anyway. Darkness fell that night without a single deer sighting, which is highly unusual. I stopped at the rural store (which is also a deer check station) on the way home and saw a nice 10-point buck in the bed of a truck. An older gentleman from Greene County said that it has been raiding his wife's flower garden and that he saw it out the picture window of his home and retrieved his bow and shot it right in his yard. Some guys have all the luck...

Saturday morning found me down in Orange County up in my tree a good half mile from the road before sunrise. The worst wind I've ever seen arose and the sky turned black. I thought that I was in for a tornado, but stayed put. It calmed down around 9AM and I stayed until 11AM. No deer sighted by myself or Mechaniac. Saturday afternoon, we hunted behind my home where I'd filmed a nice buck earlier this year. Again, stayed until dark and saw nothing.

Sunday afternoon I went behind the house again and had just pulled my bow up in the tree at 4:15 PM when I heard something coming in the dry leaves behind me at a rapid pace. I frantically removed an arrow from my quiver and nocked it. I turned around slowly to see an older gentleman walking right up the deer trail from the direction I expected the deer to come from. I couldn't believe it. I didn't say anything and he never saw me. He walked up the ridge to a field and I heard a truck start. Now, this is way off the road. I don't know who he was or what he was doing back there. I went ahead and stayed put, but didn't have much hope of seeing a deer. Right before dark, a small antlerless deer came strolling up the deer trail, oblivious to the fact that guy had earlier walked right there as well. It passed by my tree at less than 15 yards, but I couldn't tell for sure if it was a doe or button buck. I elected not to shoot, as I didn't want to risk killing a future monster buck.

There you have it. One deer sighted all weekend. Usually I see quite a few and sometimes have one harvested by now. I can only speculate as to the lack of deer sighted. Maybe it is the lack of rain we've had in September. The woods are dry as hell. Also, the mast crop (acorns, etc.) is down considerably this year. Maybe the deer are hanging out somewhere near water and a better food source. Who knows? Hopefully I will get them figured out sometime...

Blaze orange isn't required in Indiana until firearms season opens in mid November.

I know it isn't required for hunting during bow season, but the idea of wearing a tresspasser's arrow home doesn't appeal to me so I'd want to be sure I was obviously human while trekking into the woods.  I usually try to avoid the whole place during gun season.  We've found a couple of bullet holes in the buildings over the years.  One went through a sliding glass door and the headrest of a rocking chair in the living room.

I think we had a deer eating corn in our backyard garden this summer, but I never actually saw it.  Would've been safe to shoot at with a bow, but not with a gun.  Kind of a long shot from the house though, 60-75 yds I'd guess.  

Maybe one of these years I'll take my father-in-law up on the offer to gun hunt with him and his buddies.  But they do more drinking than hunting and some of those buddies scare me.  

Mike, I misunderstood you. I thought that you meant that you wished you had looked for the blaze orange being worn by the trespassers and approached them.

I know what you mean about wanting to wear the blaze orange yourself. I knew a farmer once who wore a pair of overalls that were COMPLETELY blaze orange while doing his outdoor chores during firearms season.

I hope you realize that what you thought better of is illegal in more than one way.

Quoted: I guess that explains all of the pickups parked in the fields around our cabin this weekend.  While I was packing up to come home Sunday night, right around sunset, I saw two does cross the field behind the cabin at a full run.  Went by within about 25 yards of me.  Just for a second I reached for the 9mm on my hip, but thought better of it.   I probably should've looked for something blaze orange and gone to see what spooked them (we don't allow hunting in the woods they came from) but since I ran more than 100 rounds through the AR next to the woods that afternoon I don't suppose any hunters were hanging around...

Hiya M4,
Been hunting on base.  Almost had a shot at two does.  Saw a so-so 6-8 pointer on the way home one night.  The does are thick!  No acorns from my good acorn tree in my other spot.  Therefore, no deer there!  I'm gonna scout some more this weekend.
Later,
Jim

Quoted: I hope you realize that what you thought better of is illegal in more than one way. Quoted: ...  Just for a second I reached for the 9mm on my hip, but thought better of it.   ...

Out of season, no hunting license, unapproved weapon, less than 50yds from the road, firing towards the road, houses 1/4 mile behind with only a fencerow as backstop, have I missed any?  I guess I should've thrown a in there.  

Quoted: Hiya M4, Been hunting on base.  Almost had a shot at two does.  Saw a so-so 6-8 pointer on the way home one night.  The does are thick!  No acorns from my good acorn tree in my other spot.  Therefore, no deer there!  I'm gonna scout some more this weekend. Later, Jim

Jim, I haven't hunted at all since last Sunday. I usually hunt almost every single day of the season, but work has kept me from it. In fact, the last three days I have put in 12 hours, 16 hours, and 12 hours. I felt like a zombie after that double shift.

As for the Crane base, I got drawn for the first gun hunt (November 14) this year. Hopefully I will get my lucky area again. I've hunted that area 7 times now, so I've got a good feel for it. I'd like to take another big one equal to or larger than my last from there.

Ya know, you could let me know which area and I could scout it our for ya every night in bow season.  

Seriously though, if you want me to check on the general area that you hunt, I can.  They've been logging alot and your favorite tree might be gone!  They wiped out a big chunk right beside where I used to bowhunt.

Second weekend deer report (like anyone really cares ):

Didn't hunt Friday evening due to overtime. Hunted behind my home Saturday morning and got soaked. Got down out of my treestand early and scouted around. Jumped a small buck, two does, and a fawn in a brushy field. Saturday evening, I hunted from the same stand I saw the small deer from last Sunday evening. Had a small forkhorn with his right antler broken off come within 15 yards of me and feed on tree leaves (of all things) around me for 35 minutes. Maybe in a couple of years I'll think about taking him out.

Didn't hunt this morning. Went out this afternoon with Mechaniac and let him have the spot where I saw the broken-antler buck yesterday. I circled around the ridge and was 20 yards from my intended tree when I jumped up a great buck. It was the largest-racked buck that I'd ever personally seen on-the-hoof. As he trotted away from me, his massive rack was as wide as his body. He stopped less than 100 yards from me and stood there for a few moments, never looking back at me. If it were firearms season, I'd have had an open shot at him. A smaller buck followed him through the woods and across a field. I know for a fact that he never winded me, as he was due south of me and the wind was blowing straight from the west. He also never saw me. He blew a couple of times, and that usually indicates confusion as to the whereabouts and identity of what spooked the deer. I don't believe that he associated me with a human. I was sick when he ran out of sight and almost went right back home. I stayed and hunted and saw dozens of squirrels, but nothing more. At least I know that there is a worthy buck behind my home. Now if I can just get him...